1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a guide arrangement for elevators, particularly for vertical elevators. The arrangement includes guide rails which are fastened to a shaft wall by means of fastening members.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, in known guide rail systems for elevators guided in vertical shafts, there is the problem that any uneven areas of the shaft wall must be taken into consideration particularly carefully when the rails are assembled and must be compensated for by an adjusting mechanism. In the case of very high shafts, i.e., very long guide rails, settling of the shaft or a different thermal expansion behavior of the guide rails relative to the shaft wall may lead to deformation of the rails and deviations from the straightness of the rails when an unyielding connection is provided between the guide rail and the shaft wall.
Finally, in so-called piggyback elevators, there is the general problem that, because of the eccentric suspension of the elevator car and the laterally extending guide rails, high horizontal forces must be introduced through the rail stirrups into the shaft wall and must be absorbed by the shaft wall. This requires a sufficient stability of the shaft wall. In addition, the strength requirements of the connecting means are very high. Also, the number of necessary rail stirrups increases with the weight of the elevator car and the payload because of the necessary narrow spacings between rail stirrups. These limitations make it questionable whether piggyback-type elevators with heavy elevator car and/or high payloads can be realized within a technically economical framework.